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Local lawmen try to get reconsideration of ONP tickets

(Port Angeles) – Tickets issued to local residents for using Olympic National Park during the government shutdown will stand.

Port Angeles police chief Terry Gallagher and Clallam County sheriff Bill Benedict contacted the US Attorney seeking to get the tickets overturned. They were unsuccessful.

The tickets were issued last weekend as a Port Angles took six international college and high school students to visit Marymere Falls.

During the visit, she and another park visitor, were cited by Park Ranger Jennifer Jackson for violating the closure order for the park.

The citation carries a 125-dollar fine, and requires that a person drive to Tacoma if they wish to fight the citation in federal court.

Chief Terry Gallagher told KONP he thought the way the issue was handled was inappropriate and could've been done without handing out tickets.

encouraging.”
Sheriff Bill Benedict told KONP news that this incident could have been handled with better discretion and would've issued a warning to the visitors.

Olympic National Park spokeswoman Barb Maynes says that drivers in this case had driven past erected barriers with signs indicating the closure of the park. She didn't want to elaborate on this specific case, since this was an on-going legal matter.

US Attorney Jenny Durkan stood by the tickets, agreeing that the motorists had driven around the barricades and knew they were in violation of the facility closure.